SAN.DIEGO  Chargers quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is quick to pick up starter Philip Rivers. A better tale is when Whitehurst was picked up by teammate Matt Hasselbeck.

The shaggy Whitehurst was with the Seahawks in 2010 when Hasselbeck phoned, seeing if he wanted a lift across Lake Washington. The floating bridge into Seattle was jammed, but the car-pool lane was open. That led to Hasselbeck recruiting the neighboring Whitehurst, who, we think visits a barber on a semi-annual basis.

“I had a pretty good beard going,'' Whitehurst said, “and long hair.''

He also carried what looked like a sign, but it didn't say “Spare change, please.'' It was the Seahawks' playbook, and Hasselbeck shocked him when calling an audible.

“He surprised me, took a picture and tweeted it out,'' Whitehurst said. “He said, 'look what I just picked up on the side of the rode.' He had a real good time with it and I didn't know about it until after he had a real good time with it.''

Soon, tech-savvy Seattle was a twitter with news its quarterback was giving rides to such a disheveled individual. Hasselbeck's zinger hit the mark, with Whitehurst in its cross hair.

“He took advantage of the situation,'' Whitehurst said, with a chuckle.

Whitehurst, who's called “Clipboard Jesus” in some circles, knows his role: run the scout team and be ready in case disaster visits No. 17.

So there was Whitehurst on Wednesday, doing his best Josh Freeman imitation as the Chargers' defense readies for Sunday's date with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Maybe you scramble around a little more this week because he's pretty good at extending the play and running with the football,'' Whitehurst said. “And with their vertical passing game.''

The majority of Freeman's long heaves are pointed toward ex-Charger Vincent Jackson. Like Jackson, Whitehurst was once a former Charger, but he returned this season after two years in the Pacific Northwest.

While keen on operating opposing offenses, Whitehurst's task is to be set if the Chargers' world goes south. Like Rivers being unable to climb under center.

“Obviously the most important thing is to be ready to play in case something happens to Philip,'' he said. “That is why I'm here.''

And why Chargers fans hope he's nothing more than a summer rerun, an August staple during the preseason. No disrespect to Whitehurst, but one Chargers quarterback is considered top-shelf variety and it's not the one who is shy around scissors.

But the competitor in Whitehurst aches to play. The reality is, and the pass-protection willing, he won't.

“I don't think it's hard,'' Whitehurst said of stifling his desire for a Sunday sweat. “It's hard if you go in there unprepared. It's the preparation that motivates you to make sure you are ready. I prepare like I'm going to play the second play of the game and if it happens, I will go in and perform the best I can.''

When Rivers doesn't have his 'A' game it's a steady stream of the alphabet being arranged in letters to the editor and comments under stories. Rivers, after mixed results last year, hasn't been the steadying force Chargers fans expect on a weekly basis.

Whitehurst has a better seat that most in witnessing a flowing, or stagnant, Rivers.

“I think he is a complete quarterback because after the good plays he makes good ones,'' Whitehurst reasoned. “And after the bad ones, he makes good ones. I think he's an elite quarterback and the standard is very high for him.''

Whitehurst sets his bar with his Boy Scouts approach of always being prepared.

“You never know,'' he said. “I could play the rest of the season out if something happens. That is how I view myself.''

On game day, he's another set of eyes for Rivers, although sometimes the excitable first-stringer can do without the backup's voice.

“If he asks me a question I will tell him what I saw,'' Whitehurst said. “Other than that, I let him do his deal on Sundays. Those real competitive guys, and he's as competitive as anyone I've ever been around, they don't want you to tell them when they don't see something. I learned that pretty quick.''

That, and being cautious about hitching rides from starters with a smirk.